Muscari - anyone else having this problem?

Three years ago I planted 200 muscari as a border along my garden. The first year they were OK, but in the last two years they have really multiplied. Last spring, this was the look - a river of muscari.

Recently, I noticed bulbs on the surface of the soil, all along my border - the muscari had either multiplied and pushed them out of the ground, or they had heaved from the winter freeze/thaw.

I'd like to bury them, but I don't want to disturb them by digging them up and planting them because I want to keep the full look that they had last spring.

Any suggestions?

I love that "river" look! Mine have multiplied too but have never pushed out of the ground like that... I'd replant them... don't worry about "disturbing" them, because if they get a little more space between the bulbs as you replant, that's probably a good thing.

I've noticed they are starting to sprout leaves, so unless I do it immediately, I'd prefer not to disturb them. I read an article online that suggests mulching bulbs that have come to the surface like this, but I'm not sure a couple inches of mulch will stay in place, since my bed it slightly elevated.

I've moved muscari that were leafing out (splitting a few larger clumps when I was planting other bulbs in fall), and I don't believe it interrupted their bloom the following spring. If they're at the surface due to division, you can probably take out the top layer and add a little dirt on top of the underlying ones... that way the lower layer of bulbs will be undisturbed, and you'll have extra bulbs to extend your "river."

Leawood,

I am a lazy gardener, I would just mulch them (more than once). Keeping a good layer of mulch all summer may encourage the bulbs to pull themselves back down into the soil, or stop it from happening in the future.

Muscari form their new buds (flowers) as the foilage dies back. You should be able to move or replant them without losing next spring's flowers.

This message was edited Aug 2, 2009 1:22 PM

dale, does muscari return for you?

Not here in Tampa, but, I have lived other places. It does very well in Austin TX.

Vossner they return for me every year. They multiply like rabbits.

Muscari bulbs, wholesale, are $110 per thousand, that is 11 cents each.

The price of a bulb usually indicates how fast in multiplies....these guys are rabbits.

The 'average' tulip, per thousand, is 30-40 cents each.

- purrty
- purrtier
and
- mo'purrtier!

thanking all of you for sharing!

Wow that is really nice! I live in middle florida around Vero Beach. Will this plant grow here? My wife would love the color.

Look at Dale's post above... is your weather more like Tampa or more like Austin TX?

mine got long legged-ed with foliage and never did produce a bloom . .. ugggh

Well, lazy gardener that I am, I ended up doing nothing. Here's what my muscari look like this morning. I think this summer I will divide and replant them (no promises).

That looks great, Leawood.

Another note on the muscari - they will not only multiply by offshoot bulbs but will distribute seed - I am finding them in weird places around the yard a hundred feet away from the bed in which they're planted.

That is such a beautiful picture. They multiply even here in the desert and this year all of mine set seed so it should be interesting to see where they show up.

LOve your river! Just like the river of muscari they feature in Holland.

And love your 'old pots' too. Very picturesque!

My muscari have finally caught on, although in my 'river' the voles and squirrels must have sat down and had a big dinner party because parts of the 'river' disappeared much to my dismay.

I am going to rearrange mine as soon as the daffodils behind them finish off.

Beautful garden Lea!

Keep sending photos.
I'm still covered with snow and we're getting another blizzard coming in Mon-Tue.
I love to see Spring gardens growing and in bloom, while I'm still covered in snow.

:-)
Babette

Wow. A blizzard in mid-April! My daughter lives in Steamboat Springs, CO, where they just got 8 inches of snow on Wednesday. The ski slopes will be open until the 18th, I think.

There is a yellow and fragrant muscari that I got last fall from B&B. I got abou 20 bulbs so it wasn't much of a statement when they bloomed. Do you think the non-blue will be as prolific? I would like that.

OT, One of my daff beds which is already done and is only leaves in decline, has been taken over by some king of primrose. what a pretty way to fade away.

You guys are surely tempting me to get muscari. marie, how many muscari bulbs did you sneak out and plant in the middle of the night, when nobody was looking?????

LOL!!!! I did sneak out and plant some but not the ones that are most prolific. I planted those when there was nothing in the yard at all and they reproduced like rabbits!!!

I think you need some Voss!!!

My "river" of muscari (more of a streamlet, but very pretty) was originally a mix of varieties, but I think the blue-violet ones multiply much faster than the others, so the other colors have mostly disappeared. I'd suggest planting "other" varieties in their own locations, where they can multiply at their own pace wihtout being crowded out.

I put in a few (very few, they were $$) pink muscari last fall, and they're very pretty! not bright pink, more like cream/white with a bit of a shell-pink tinge.

I wonder if all my blooms are from seed. I originally planted two different varieties - a light blue and a duotone blue and purple. As you can see, mine are all the same after 4 years.

I have started a border of muscari as well! I love the way it looks with my red primrose. I've even had the miniature daffodils bloom at the same time and that look is awesome!

muscari with the red primrose. (looks good with the dandelion too I guess!)

Love the primrose effect! Very jaunty!

Don't you just love muscari?? I guess some people don't like them because they sometimes self-seed into the wrong places, but in our garden that works for us, too. It's even better!

When we started out with them, I think I planted 5 or 6 different kinds (from Van engelen and B & B). Some of them were fairly ugly (m. comosum) and some would have shown off better in a rock garden situation. Link to different kinds of muscari: http://www.vanengelen.com/catview.cgi?_fn=Product&_category=Muscari

This spring I think we just had the common blue/purple one left. Two years ago I planted about 100 'Christmas Pearl' muscari and loved those because they bloomed so early with the early 'pink' daffs, but they all disappeared (I think eaten by the voles).

The primrose with the muscari are wonderful. I also planted tiny narcissus (Tete'a'Tete) with the muscari, with limited success. They bloomed early, before the muscari, so I didn't get the show I wanted.

I love muscari too! Mother-in-law gave me some tassle muscari bulbs for Christmas. Not a striking flower, but they have a lovely scent. I also bought as mixed bag and love the ice blue ones...I don't know the name.

Question: the foliage looks so tattered in the winter before they bloom. Will they still bloom if you give them a haircut?

Here's a pick of some reg. muscari by the creeping phlox.